Emefiele: CSO faults Investigator, says reports ‘cooked and concocted’ in a hurry

As reactions continue to trail reports by the CBN Special Investigator, Jim Obazee which was submitted to President Bola Tinubu on Thursday last week, a Civil Society Organisation operating under the aegis of ‘The Citizen Watch for Good Governance’ has declared that it was cooked and concocted’ against Godwin Emefiele in a hurry.

In a statement issued by the CSO’s Director of Media and Publicity, Mr Mayowa Ajibade which was made available to CAPITAL POST on Wednesday, said, the report was deliberately orchestrated to cause chaos, adding that Mr Obazee was notorious for doing a hatchet job.

The group wondered on the criteria used in appointing Mr Obazee as an investigator, insisting that there were no elements of Independence in his appointment and in the manner he also conducted the investigation of the former Apex bank boss.

The statement read: “The Nigeria Citizen Watch for Good Governance has described the report by the Special Investigator on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Related Entities, Jim Obazee as another one of his cooked and concocted stories aimed at causing controversies and chaos in the country.

“This is not the first time Jim Obazee is involved in causing controversies that have been injurious to the certain innocent people in the country over his own personal interest, greed and intoxication caused by the power at his disposal.

“To begin with, how did Jim Obazee became a special investigator, how independent is he as a special investigator, what criteria were used to appoint him, what are the yardstick for his nomination.

“These questions are fundamental and need to be addressed because of the previous records of Jim Obazee.

“The same special investigator who was accused of sexual harassment by one of his staff who worked under him for years, an ES who did not get approval before implementing the FRC code, which was yet to be approved by a board and the same individual who ordered the hasty suspension of FRC numbers of some bank Managers, directors for no just cause and only for the suspension to be lifted after a while.

“It is imperative to state clearly that a man who has had this questionable past is not capable of leading such a sensitive investigation against someone he has been at logger heads with.

“His neutrality and impartiality are at question given the matter at hand because we are aware he was sacked and out for a revenge mission to settle personal vendetta. Jim Obazee is out for a which hunt.

“The report he submitted to the President is full of flaws, for example, in the report, Jim Obazee stated that Mr Emefiele never got approval for the Naira re-design when on the contrary, former President Buhari has made several public statements taking full responsibility for the Naira re-design.

“Also it contains events that have never happened. In Fact, most of the names mentioned in the reports have publicly came out to debunk and reject what was written by Jim Obazee. He and his sponsors are so eager to slander, defame and tarnish the reputation of notable Nigerians who have served diligently the nation in their various capacities.

“On this note, we call on Nigerians to ignore the findings of Mr Obazee as the report is full of biases and is greatly influenced by the zeal to settle personal score”, the statement concluded.